Original subtitles

Mr. Gordon?

Don't stand there mumbling. Speak up. What do you want? It's time for your

medication. I don't want it.

I'm sorry, Mr. Gordon, but Dr.

Lambert insists you must have it.

Adulterated jackass.

My orders are to give you this medication.

No. Please, Mr. Gordon.

No, no, no, no, no!

Mr. Gordon! Didn't you hear me? I said...

The third time it's happened.

Tonight I thought he was really going.

He's too full of hate.

Even death despises him.

You'd, uh, better increase the heparin I order to one cc every night.

Yes, Dr. Lambert.

I'll look in on Rachel before I leave. Now you call me if you need me.

Good night, Doctor.

Good night, Miss Clover.

It's all right, Sadie.

He's going to be all right.

Where's Miss Gordon?

She's in her room.

Dr. Lambert, could you help her, please? She's so nervous and upset. I just

can't stand to see what's happening to her.

Pops got you one foot over the precipice, Rachel.

He's off before you yourself have a stroke.

How's Uncle Abner?

He lives.

Wouldn't you know.

You were hoping I'd say this was the end.

That upsets you, doesn't it?

Makes you sick.

Tell me, Doctor, how old do you think I look?

You want me to say 40 or 45, I suppose.

In a month, I'll be 35.

Fifteen years of my life.

Like someone in jail.

Looking after him, waiting for him to die.

There's never been a lock on the front door.

Oh, sure.

Walk out.

Let him cut me off his own flesh and blood.

His only flesh and blood. But staying here, you've become nothing but raw

and twisted emotions.

How much is it worth to be a sick, empty creature drained of every drop of the

joy of life? How much?

One million dollars, Doctor. My legacy.

Abner had a mild stroke, the third one this month.

He could live on like this for years, Rachel.

For years.

No, not for years.

I won't let him.

Except me, Bruce.

Never mind.

Rachel, you all right?

I just dropped something, I thought.

It's all right, Bruce.

There's no question of it.

Footprints in the flower bed.

Mark, you're on the lock.

Let me try to break in here, all right?

Whoever it was, do you think he'll try again?

It sort of depends on how badly he wants what he thinks he didn't get.

This is the Abner Gordon home.

And you're Charles Norman, the butler, right?

Butler, gardener, chauffeur.

And my wife, Sadie, is the housekeeper.

Who else lives in?

Well, aside from Mr. Gordon, that's his niece, Miss Rachel Gordon.

And Mr. Bruce Jay, kind of secretary.

And Mr. Gordon's nurse, Miss Phyllis Clover.

Oh, I see.

Do you have a gun?

A gun?

Good heavens, no.

Who runs the place, this Miss Gordon?

If she's in, I'd like to have a talk with her. Certainly. Go right ahead. I

cannot go on feeling sorry for you and shut my eyes to what you're doing.

I am not blind.

I am not stupid.

And this account book speaks for itself.

Harlan, please understand, I need your help.

You can shake that thought right out of your mind, Rachel.

As your uncle's accountant, I will not be put in the middle.

Absolutely not.

Excuse me, Miss Gordon.

About the marks on the side door this morning, the police officer would like

speak to you.

Some other time.

Tell him I'll call him.

He's right here, waiting for you. I said not now.

Get out.

Certainly, ma 'am.

Harlan, you've known me such a long time. It isn't as if I'd actually stolen

money. Oh, isn't it?

Or perhaps your dictionary has a different moral evaluation for

Mine tends to define it in the same terms as the California Code.

The Penal Code.

I, uh... I'm sorry, Rachel.

What for?

For snooping on me?

For calling Abner's accountant and telling him I was stealing from my

I... He found the discrepancy himself.

Look, if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to have you thrown out of this

house for good.

Please, Rachel.

Bill, did Mr. Farrell leave by the front door or the side door? I just passed

him going up the stairs. He said he had to see Mr. Gordon.

No, no, I'm all right.

I thought you were having trouble breathing again.

No, no, it's just Rachel.

And this house.

You really think if you stay on, it'll make things easier for her? For Mr.

Gordon? Let's put it another way.

If I go, will it make things harder for her?

I don't think anybody or anything will help Rachel.

But it's different for you now, darling. You're well again.

But you've got your whole life ahead of you.

Our life.

Today is Thursday.

By Monday, by five in the afternoon of Monday, you will make full restitution

every last dollar you've drained out of my funds for that no -good parasite

you're supporting. No!

Didn't think I knew about your little boyfriend, did you?

Please, Uncle Abner. By five Monday.

Do I have to tell you what the alternative is?

Sounds like an unhappy household.

Tell me, Mr. J.

How are you affected by actions Abner Gordon may take against his niece?

Well, it's a matter of some money.

You see, I put myself through college working in a chemical plant Abner Gordon

owned. There was an accident.

Some... defective old equipment in the factory.

I ended up more dead than alive in the hospital.

My, uh, my lungs.

You filed a lawsuit?

No. There was some sort of mix -up with his insurance.

Abner Gordon would have been personally liable.

And you agreed not to sue him?

Well, sort of. I mean, he was very kind.

He paid my bills.

He brought me to his home as a sort of librarian secretary to recuperate.

And I've been there ever since, working for him.

You received no compensation at all for your injuries?

He promised that any time I decided to leave to go out on my own, he'd give me

$50 ,000.

And now you've decided to leave?

Well, there's a girl and a business, a bookstore I'm interested in.

But, Mr. Mason, I haven't spoken to Mr. Gordon yet, and the way things are,

maybe I shouldn't right now. Oh, yes, I think you should.

And soon.

In fact, you have a right to the money.

Well, I just don't want to cause any trouble at a time like this. Well, I'll

able to handle it for you without trouble.

Unless, of course, Mr. Gordon has changed his mind.

As you describe it, that money is essentially a gift.

And an offer of a gift lacking legal consideration is revocable at a moment's

notice. No, I don't think he'd back down on his promise.

Is there something in writing about this?

Well, I know the $50 ,000 is provided for in his will.

Good. That may be all we need to assure payment.

Well, thank you, Mr. Mason.

I guess I've... Well, I've been a little worried about his changing his will. Is

there an indication that he plans to do so?

Well, he's always threatened his niece, Rachel, that if she ever left him or got

married, he'd cut her off.

He had another will drawn years ago.

He's always waved it in her face as a warning.

Threatens to substitute it for the actual legal will. Under these

the validity of the second will may be seriously questioned.

Does it... Disinherit his niece?

It disinherits everybody.

It leaves every cent he has to charity.

Oh, Rachel, baby.

Did you bring the money?

You did bring the money.

Is Tracy... Oh, don't worry, honey. Just add it to the rest, I owe you.

And it won't be long now. He can't hang on forever.

And then, well, maybe... Tracy, I shouldn't give you any more money.

I mean, the money I've already given you, I've got to have it back. Every

of it.

You what?

But you know I haven't got it.

Tracy, I can't give you any more.

I stole that money for you.

He's going to send me to jail.

Unless I return every cent by Monday afternoon, he's going to use the new

Tracy, what can I do? Tell me what.

Start praying.

What? Pray your uncle dies before Monday afternoon.

No.

They can't prosecute you for stealing for yourself, can they?

Tracy.

Lock up and leave.

Shall we stop at police headquarters, or will you call?

What? The attempted housebreaking.

The police officer was insistent that he speak to you.

Uh, no, you take the car home. I have some errands to do.

But it's no trouble.

I said drive the car home.

I'll take a cab.

Oh, Miss Rachel, you're not well, and I don't mind driving anywhere you want to

go.

I am certain you'll like this pistol. It's a truly fine handgun, and I think

you'll see for yourself the amazing advances in recent years, particularly

relation to velocity and kinetic energy.

Well, now, let's see.

We have name, address, phone number, height, weight, complete description,

the serial number of the gun. Yes, it's all complete except for your signature.

You realize, of course, Miss Gordon, that the police provide for a three -day

delay before we're permitted to deliver any gun to a customer.

It's just a formality.

A matter of record for the police. Really out of our control, you know.

I'm sorry. I changed my mind.

Ma 'am, I'll need your name and address.

Just for the record.

Is it really necessary that there be a record?

Lady, is that coffee ready yet?

No, not yet.

Be careful, that handle is loose.

I know the handle's loose. It's been loose for days, and you've been

to fix it for days.

The coffee's not ready yet, Miss Rachel.

Miss Gordon, you asked us to see you here.

I realize that you're very upset, and I'm sorry, but...

You've kept us waiting for over half an hour now, and it's time for me to give

your uncle his medication.

And we mustn't disappoint the great God, Adner, must we?

By all means, let nothing interfere with his creature comforts.

Let him take us all for granted.

Yes, walk all over us, but smile and say, Thank you, dear, dear Adner. Thank

you, Miss Rachel.

Oh, once he's got to realize that we count, too, that we're people. Rachel,

you're not feeding... Tomorrow, I want you all to leave this house at noon.

What? And stay away until Sunday at noon.

But that's impossible.

Now listen to me.

I'll give him his medication.

I'll see that he's fed, taken care of, given whatever he has to have.

But nothing more.

He's got to find out that he can't crack the whip just for the fun of watching

us dance.

Rachel, that's absolutely the most... I'm not asking for opinions or comments.

I'm giving an order.

Tomorrow, Saturday at noon, until Sunday at noon, I want to be left alone with

him. And don't you dare tell him anything about this.

Please leave me alone.

is about as close to a complete breakdown as I've ever seen.

Mr. Gordon, ready for bed?

Yes. And, uh, I didn't tell him about the accident. I figured there was no

in upsetting him.

Don't. Just give him a half break and get him to sleep.

Get some sleep yourself.

Oh, is there anything more I can do for Rachel?

Well, I sedated her pretty heavily.

No choice between hysteria, shock, and her begging for relief.

No, no, no. She'll be all right.

She probably smoked that hock around.

foreign

Mr. Mason, I hope you didn't have to wait too long, sir.

I took Phyllis, Miss Clover, the nurse, back to her own apartment. The police

had finished questioning her.

Have you been reading law, Bruce?

What?

Oh, no, no. Those belong to Mr. Gordon. He was a graduate attorney, but he never

practiced. He took over his father's businesses after he passed the bar.

Mr. Gordon handles... That is, he used to handle his own legal affairs. He

retained an attorney.

I just didn't know who else to call but you.

Actually, I was hoping possibly you might represent Miss Rachel Gordon.

Did she ask you to call me?

No.

They haven't let any of us talk to her.

I... I suppose she's under arrest.

That seems logical.

The policeman who told me to wait here for you said that she fired three times

at point -blank range into Abner Gordon's head and chest.

It's... It's like a... Like a bad dream.

Only that... Dream, you keep reassuring yourself that you're going to wake up.

Bruce, I'm sorry, but I can't represent Miss Gordon.

She's a fine person, Mr. Mason.

Or was.

You've got to understand the pressure she's lived under here.

I can't represent her, because I'm already representing you.

But this is murder. It has nothing to do with her uncle's will.

Yes, it does.

If convicted, she's precluded by law from an inheritance under his will.

Oh.

Well, I didn't know that.

I represent you, and you were involved with the decedent.

It would be a conflict of interest.

I'm sorry.

Well, at least until she can retain somebody else, would you speak to her?

Tell her what her rights are?

Where is she?

Upstairs in her room.

I think Dr. Lambert's with her.

She wanted us to leave at noon on Saturday.

Well, that's today.

And not come back till Sunday at noon so that she could be alone with him.

Are you sure, Mr. Norman, there's never been a gun in the house?

Well, I couldn't swear to it. There's never been a gun in this house. Never.

But, Lieutenant, isn't it possible that when Miss Rachel called that sergeant,

he advised her to go out and buy a gun?

Because of the burglar. He never had a chance to advise her about anything.

She never called.

That'll be all for now. I'll be speaking to both of you later.

Sergeant Price told me you were here, Perry.

Andy? I suppose you'd like to speak with your client.

Bruce Jay is my client, Andy. He thought I might be of some temporary assistance

to Miss Gordon until she retains her own counsel.

He's on a heavy sedation, unconscious.

I don't think he'll be doing any talking for a while.

Oh, Doctor.

I'm afraid you can't go with her.

That's nonsense. She's ill. She's been through a terrible experience.

I know.

I saw Abner Gordon's body.

Lieutenant Anderson, she will need medical attention when she comes to.

She'll get it in the prison ward of County General Hospital.

All right. I've just had word from Mr. Berger. It'll take an okay from the

district attorney's office to see Rachel Gordon. For anybody to see her,

including her attorney.

Excuse me.

How long do you go on tormenting a decent human being, pushing her further

further into a corner with no hope of escape?

I knew she was on the verge, but I just didn't think she... Unless it was

said as part of a privileged communication between doctor and

have to repeat it in court, you know.

Repeat what?

The admission you nearly made just now.

Don't be upset.

You aren't the only one in whose presence Rachel threatened to kill Abner

Gordon.

I don't know what hell is like, but it can't be much worse than the life that

Abner restricted her to.

You're saying the shooting was no drug -inspired, irresistible impulse, but

calculated and premeditated.

You're not putting the words of a possible courtroom defense in my mind,

you, with this irresistible impulse?

No, Doctor.

I wouldn't do that even if I were Miss Gordon's attorney.

I'm just curious.

Primarily about the effect of the injection you gave her for the burn last

night. Oh, it relieves pain and anxiety.

How the anxiety, for example? By removing the inhibitory processes in the

frontal lobe of the brain of the patient.

I thought so.

Rather like turning off a red light?

If a patient were under tremendous tension, if she were fighting a

do something, the drug would remove her natural reluctance.

would actually encourage her to do what she was possibly only planning to do?

If, if, if.

Hello? She was literally unconscious when she pulled that trigger.

As far as I'm concerned, there isn't one shred of proof that she ever gave a

single thought to actually killing Abner.

You can say that, despite her repeated threats against his life?

Is it one of your men, Mr. Mason?

Yes. I want to call somebody named Drake.

Excuse me, Doctor.

Sam was sure out to kill somebody, and Andy's been working real fast on this

one. They found a shopkeeper to whom she paid 200 bucks for the gun and his

promise not to report it to the police.

Of course I didn't report it to the police then.

Well, why should I?

Rachel misappropriated a few thousand dollars. Well, what's that, the crime of

the century?

Hardly. Oh, I know Abner threatened her with the police and with that other

will, but after all, he'd been waving that other will in her face for 15

Did you ever stop to think?

The last thing, the very last thing in the world Abner Gordon wanted was not to

have her around.

Did you ever think of it? Look, Mr. Farrell, all I really want to know is

did Rachel Gordon do with the $5 ,000 she stole?

Gambling, the horses.

Oh, come now, Mr. Drake, really?

Rachel and racehorses?

Well, I never knew the lady.

Well, I did.

Know her man, too?

Yes, and... You're sure you just work for an attorney, you're not a lawyer

yourself?

Honest engine.

What did you say his name was? I didn't.

Is there any reason why you can't?

No, I... I guess it's all right.

Walcott. Tracy Walcott.

So like you say, I'm... I'm unconcerned.

So what?

Not even a sympathetic shrug?

After all, she stole five grand for you. A loan.

Strictly a business loan.

That Avery sent back.

Before or after?

Before or after what?

They strap her in a gas chamber for murder.

You know, she's still at General Hospital.

And if you ask real nice, they might let you in to see her.

Sorry. Got a date.

So soon?

Can the new one afford you?

Look, Seamus, if you're digging to get my goat, you're wasting your time.

Now, as a matter of fact, I have got a date with a young lady who's got quite a

bit of money and might promote me in a business of my own.

Mm -hmm.

Say, killing old man Gordon, was that Rachel's idea or yours?

You're a wise guy, aren't you?

Will you chew on this?

If you and that shizer you work for think you can drag me into this, you've

another thing coming.

I'll sing all how I'll sing on the witness stand, and it won't be a lie

I'll swear that for the last month, That's all Rachel could talk about,

about, dream about.

Exactly how she was going to kill her uncle.

Now, do you get the picture?

Yeah, I get it.

You clumsy.

Now, what am I going to do?

Tracy, boy, you smell real pretty.

You might just get yourself a whole platoon of promoters.

Is this a true copy of the will?

The original is locked in a safety deposit box at the bank.

But Phyllis and I thought, well, maybe you could help us.

If that will is filed, doesn't the probate court appoint an administrator

something to take care of everything?

Well, you see, the trouble is that Harlan Farrell, the accountant, simply

refuses to become involved.

And Bruce doesn't know what to do, Mr. Mason.

There are bills to be paid, decisions to be made. And a million and one things

that Bruce just doesn't have the authority to do.

Bruce, who knows the provisions of this will?

Who knows?

I suppose everybody knows.

By everybody, you mean those who are named in the will?

Well, I don't... The will provides for you to receive $50 ,000, for instance.

You obviously knew that.

Tell me, do Charles and Sadie Norman know there to inherit $50 ,000? Harlan

Farrell, that he should get $25 ,000?

Dr. Lambert also $25 ,000?

I suppose so.

Mr. Gordon never made a secret of his favors.

Quite the contrary. He was always talking about them, threatening with

balance goes to Rachel Gordon.

Do you know what that balance might be?

Yes, I do.

One and a half million dollars.

I'm sorry to bust in like this, but I thought you'd like to know that Rachel

Gordon was just released from general hospital.

She was what?

But, Paul, why would it? I don't know the story yet.

Mr. Mason, that's impossible.

We were just there less than an hour ago and they wouldn't even let us talk to

Rachel. Wait a minute, honey.

You mean she's been released on bail?

No, that's also impossible.

There's no bail on a murder charge.

I got my call, Gertie.

Hi, Joe. What'd you find out?

He didn't die from the bullets.

What?

Abner Gordon was stone cold dead three hours before Rachel pumped those shots

into him. Dead?

But how?

Murdered, that's how.

Mr. Bruce Jay, I have a warrant here for your arrest on a charge of criminal

homicide.

It was obvious the victim was dead at least three hours prior to the shooting.

How are you able to determine that, Doctor?

Post -mortem lividity, temperature, rigor mortis.

And what was the actual cause of Abner Gordon's death?

Coronary insufficiency as a result of a criminal human agency.

Essentially, the inability of the heart to sustain the pressure of continued

function. Doctor, isn't coronary insufficiency a term applicable to death

natural causes as well as to death caused by criminal action?

Yes. Well, then would you please explain to this court...

What the medical examiner's office found to make this particular coronary

insufficiency a matter of criminal homicide.

He was in his 70s and suffered a prolonged state of arteriosclerosis,

of the arteries.

He had a history of prior coronary difficulties, a series of mild strokes

incapacitated him.

At the time of his death, as part of his daily medical regimen, he was being

administered one cubic centimeter of heparin every night.

And what is heparin?

an anticoagulant to prevent clotting, thus reducing the possibility of

additional strokes.

Thank you, doctor. Would you go on, please?

In addition to a minute examination of the victim's body, we analyzed the

of heparin, from which an injection was given to the victim less than two hours

before his death.

Was there anything unusual about the bottle of heparin, doctor?

Well, heparin is colorless, remains colorless. The medication in the bottle

unmistakably turning brownish in color.

It was quite obvious that something had either been added to the heparin or that

had been replaced.

And what did your analysis of the contents of that bottle reveal?

It contained half heparin and half adrenaline.

And this mixture of half heparin and half adrenaline had been injected into

decedent that night in place of his usual injection of heparin? The post

-mortem indicated that, yes.

Well, what would be the result of the injection of such a mixture?

Adrenaline is useful, but a very powerful drug. It's given in extremely

dosages. One half cubic centimeter, which must have been the amount

would constitute a fantastically massive dose even for a young healthy person.

And for the decedent, considering his age and his health.

It literally and actually caused Abner Gordon's heart to beat itself to death.

Oh, Bruce, the defendant, told me about a week before Mr. Gordon's death that he

planned to leave his job.

He mentioned the payment of money which he claimed Mr. Gordon had promised him,

$50 ,000.

Did you speak with the decedent about this particular $50 ,000?

Yes, and he became very excited. He said something about... About what, Mr.

Farrell? About rats leaving a sinking ship.

Really?

Did he indicate he would refuse to give Mr. J the $50 ,000?

Well, no, not entirely.

He said Bruce would have to wait until after he, Mr.

Gordon, was dead to collect the money.

In other words, he said the defendant could only collect that money through

inheritance, through the will that we've already introduced here in evidence.

That is correct.

Now, as to the second will that we've also introduced in evidence...

The will that Abner Gordon threatened to substitute if his niece failed to make

restitution of certain funds.

Did that second will provide $50 ,000 for Bruce Jay?

No, in that case, every cent would have gone to charity.

I see.

Now, did the defendant give you any reason for his plan to leave his

with Mr. Gordon?

Yes. To marry Phyllis Clover.

And did you intend to continue your nursing career after your marriage?

No. Bruce was going to open a bookstore.

Oh, yes, with money he hoped to inherit.

With the money that Abner Gordon owed him and promised to pay.

Miss Clover, on the day of Abner Gordon's death, an order was phoned into

pharmacist for a renewal of the heparin prescription.

Did you phone that order in yourself personally?

No. I asked someone else to do it.

Not by any chance a defendant, per se.

Well, there were some things he needed to order from the pharmacist, too.

Now, Miss Clover, you heard the pharmacist testify that he personally

that prescription.

And that the bottle, when he wrapped it with the rest of the order, contained

only heparin.

During that night, you did use the new bottle that just arrived, did you?

Yes. And when you gave Abner Gordon his injection of what you believed to be

heparin... What color was the medication in the bottle?

It had no color. It was just as colorless then as it was when you

package from the pharmacist. Is that right?

Yes.

Well, I... You did unwrap the package yourself, didn't you?

Didn't you?

No.

The package was open when I got it.

Well, I took the package from the druggist man when he delivered it to the

house. And did you open it?

No, sir.

Did you give it to the nurse?

No, no, I didn't. What did you do with it?

Well, Mr.

J, the defendant, was in the hall, and he took the package.

Did he give you any reason why he wanted the package?

Something about some item of his own that he was expecting.

And what did Mr. J then do with the package?

Well, he took it into his room and closed the door.

Well, Mr. J called me into his room, and he gave me the package, the open

package. And he asked me to take it up to Miss Clover. She was waiting for Mr.

Gordon's medicine.

Dr. Lambert, would you explain for us, in layman's terms if possible, your

opinion of how a dose of adrenaline would react in a man in Abner Gordon's

condition?

It would be as if somebody had taken a small transistor radio.

It was designed to run on a one -cell flashlight battery and hooked it up to a

50 million volt power generator.

Very well put, Doctor.

Now tell me, Abner Gordon was not your only patient in this household, was he?

No, I took care of just about everybody in the house.

Including the defendant, Bruce Jay?

Yes. Well, will you please describe to the court the defendant's medical

condition? A chronic inflammation of the lung tissues.

He'd aspirated an unusual amount of chemical and metallic particles in an

industrial accident.

And what effect did this accident have on him?

Well, that amount of material in the lung tissue produced a chronic

the first stages of pulmonary emphysema. He has then, on occasion, difficulty

breathing, very much as someone would have who was suffering from severe

Exactly the same symptoms.

And you prescribed exactly the same treatment?

The same treatment you would have prescribed for an asthmatic?

Well, broadly speaking, yes.

In addition to the long -term treatment, the emergency treatment is essentially

the same.

By emergency treatment, Doctor, you mean something to help the patient quickly

to be able to breathe.

Yes. A nebulizer, it's called.

Something like this, Doctor.

This nebulizer belongs to the defendant, Bruce Jay.

And was, I assume, prescribed by you.

What drug does this contain, Doctor?

Gremlin.

We've been here for more than two hours.

How long are we going to wait?

Oh, not if we have to.

What's the matter?

Lose your curiosity?

After you sat there in court all day without opening your mouth and then go

running off in the middle of the night to play cops and robbers?

No, I haven't lost my curiosity.

But you suppose Paul Drake is wrong?

I doubt it.

This character is a creature of habit in more ways than one.

That's just the trouble. So am I.

And one of my habits happens to be sleeping at night.

Now, if he doesn't show up here pretty soon, I'm just...

I'll take that.

Let's have a look.

Tracy boy, you've got yourself a platoon of promoters.

Yeah, I've been on the stuff.

When you first met Rachel Gordon, when you began to keep company, was she aware

that you were a narcotics addict?

No, not right away.

And when she discovered it?

She sent me to a private clinic to kick it. Among the drugs they used,

nalorphine was given as part of your cure?

Yeah.

They even gave me something to take home.

This nalorphine afterwards.

It's like, it's like name -lining with talcum powder. Nothing.

Just the once.

The once I used, that's all.

The attempted cure was of short duration?

I found better ways to spend her money.

Did Rachel Gordon then sever her relationship with you?

No.

We were both hooked.

Each in our own way.

She was my habit to keep me in line.

I was chained to her pocketbook.

The lousy money she kept doling out to me for the stuff.

And sometimes she...

Would not or could not pay.

Yeah.

Sometimes it was bad.

Real bad.

The time, for example, two nights before Abner Gordon's death, when you tried to

break into the house through the side door.

Oh, you don't know what it's like.

That fire inside of you.

Well, you'd do anything. You'd lie, you'd steal, you'd... Kill?

No.

No, not that.

Don't try to pin that one on me.

You admitted to Paul Drake the subject was discussed between you.

Maybe I did, but... Such a simple answer. Kill Uncle Abner and inherit a

and a half dollars. No, no, no. Look, look, mister.

Her. She tried to make a clay pigeon out of the old man. Her, not me.

And think of the junk you could buy for a million and a half dollars.

No, no, you don't know what you're talking about.

Wednesday night you were desperate.

You tried to break into the house.

You tried to break into the house to see her, unsuccessfully.

Thursday night, Abner Gordon had a stroke, and again you didn't see her.

Then on Friday, Friday she told you there'd be no more money.

No, no, that's not a lie.

You didn't know where to turn. Your body was starved for the poison you'd been

feeding it.

You were desperate.

No, that's not true.

So again on Friday, you returned to the house.

Stop it, stop it!

She phoned me, I swear she did.

She left dough for me in my apartment, under the pillow, a hundred bucks.

She called me at midnight to tell me where she left it. I found the door and

went out to get me a fix.

Honest.

It's the truth.

You've got to believe me.

I was nowhere near the house that night.

Honest, it's the truth. I was nowhere near the house that night.

The law reads that there can be no homicide unless a living human being is

victim.

Of course, while the defendant is not guilty of homicide if his victim is not

living, he may be guilty of an attempt to commit murder or an aggravated

assault.

Tell me, have criminal charges been filed against you for firing three shots

into the dead body of your uncle?

Not that I'm aware of, no.

Not even charges for attempted murder or aggravated assault?

I don't think so.

But you did want to kill him?

Yes. I'm sorry, but we must have a clear picture of your performance, Miss

Gordon.

Now, your plan was to kill your uncle the next day while you were alone with

and claim it was the act of some unknown housebreak.

Is that the proper setting?

Yes. Your desire was to kill him. Your intent was murder.

So you went into his room and shot him.

But he was already dead.

You didn't know that, however.

No, I didn't know that.

It's obvious to me that even if the gun were unloaded, it's still assault to

threaten someone with it. Not if there's no present ability.

Please, can't you? Yes, present ability.

Present ability.

To convict a person, to convict a person of assault, it's not only necessary to

show that he intended to inflict injury, but also that he had present ability to

inflict such injury.

Of course, that's a legal term one wouldn't know unless he happened to read

And it is the law in California.

I admit I tried to kill him. It was a terrible thing to do.

What more do you want me to say?

The burn on your arm.

I assume it's healing well?

Yes, it's fine.

You know, that required considerable courage.

Courage? Deliberately burning yourself.

What? Poor Rachel Gordon.

And everyone felt so sorry for you. But that's what you wanted, wasn't it?

No. To be pitied?

To be accepted as sick?

Neurotic?

On the verge of a breakdown?

With a relentless drive to kill the man responsible for your condition?

You're out of your mind.

You knew the coffee pot was broken. That's why you picked it up, jerked the

handle loose, and deliberately scalded yourself.

No, I didn't. Yes, Rachel. Yes.

Because it was necessary that you have an undeniable reason to force Dr.

to give you a pain -relieving opiate.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Necessary for everyone to think you were drugged, sedated, sound asleep.

But I was drugged. Oh, yes.

But with two drugs.

After Dr. Lambert gave you his injection, you then took a shot of your

isn't that right? A shot of nalorphine? The nalorphine you found in your

boyfriend's apartment?

Oh, stop it.

And nalorphine counteracts the opiate, doesn't it? Cancels it.

I never heard of such a thing.

And I never heard of such a deliberately evil plan.

You knew if your uncle ever died, you'd be blamed.

And so to divert all suspicion, you killed him, not once, but twice.

That's not a lie.

You not only fired bullets into your uncle's dead body, you put Bruce Jay's

adrenaline into the bottle of heparin and created the mixture that killed him.

But I was asleep, I tell you. I was Dr. Lambert.

At 11 o 'clock he put me to sleep.

He drugged me to sleep.

Then how were you able to phone Tracy Walcott at midnight and tell him to look

under the pillow for the money you'd left him? How?

No further questions.

You know, Paul, I missed the clue on the 12 o 'clock call entirely.

But then I looked it up, and there it was, right in the Tracy Walcott

Well, I caught that one.

But, Perry, what gave you the idea that Rachel was checking into the law?

Well, if you see a crooked picture, you straighten it, don't you?

Huh. Same with the book you find upside down. There was one in their library.

When I straightened it, I noticed it was one of the penal codes, and there was

no dust on it.

So someone there might have been reading it. But Perry, what if it was a maid's

negligence or an accident or... Della, do you know what Justice Holmes said in

reference to negligence? It also applies to clues.

He said... Even a dog distinguishes between being stumbled over and being

kicked.